well, hello. i've only decided to write a review for the final chapter because i'm a lazy bum, and i feel wonderfully sentimental getting to look back at the past twenty masterpieces, and also, i'm a lazy bum.

i'm sure you've heard by now that you're a goddamn wonderful writer. (was the dobby a dead giveaway or what?) still, you can never hear it too many times, so bear with me when i tell you that your writing is smart and snarky and lovely in all its elements and structure. because god damn, it is.

okay, now i'm gonna start yapping about myself. (i swear it starts relating to your story... later.) for my first two years of high school i went to an arts school as a writing major, and even when i left it was hard for me to let go the perception of myself i'd developed. usual stuff: i'm the writer girl, i have to be the best at that, every goddamn thing that comes out of my mouth has to be absolute poetry... the works. for the past year i've been pretty much crippled, unable to write because i was afraid of disappointing the version of me i'd left behind, and all the teachers who'd ever believed in me despite my typical teenage writer insecurities. i couldn't even write until it was three in the morning and nobody was watching, and even then i'd find myself unable to make a sentence sound the best way possible and just burst into tears. i couldn't write without hearing a million other voices except my own.

and then i read your story. i'd convinced myself in the past three years to read nothing annoying artsy fartsy indie stuff by people who had taken masters and doctorates in literature, and them masters and doctorates in more literature, and all of a sudden here i was. your writing was so sharp, to the point, unabashed of what it was (much like your characters), and that was so refreshing. i hadn't let myself read anything like it in ages. i laughed and i cried and i felt things i understood, and i was reminded of how simple the writing process could be when you listen to nobody else but yourself and your characters.

after i finished your story last night, i wrote, really wrote, for the first time in more than a year. i won't say it was a masterpiece, but i threw in some classic british swear words (your fault) and it felt good, it really did. and funnily enough that was when i realized that i was so much more than the writer i'd labelled myself as. the order of the raven wasn't just the group of geeks people thought them to be, they were hardworking and witty and loving and so much more than the grades they got. even though those grades were pretty damn good. similarly, i can be any kind of writer i want to be. i can be a tacky writer. i can be a horrible writer. but if i enjoy it, it will never take away from who i am as a whole.

thank you for creating something that has brought me to this realization. thank you, because now i am no longer scared of writing. do keep doing you, whoever that is or may become, and always know that you and your rowdy little 'claws have touched so many people. (casual innuendo in honor of albusxscorpius.)

ps: i started out with this review rating the story a 9/10. at this point i'm realizing i only gave it that because of the voice of a snobby majormate in my head going, "what? you gave a /harry potter fanfic/ a ten out of ten?" so here's one huge middle finger to her, and exactly ten hugs for you.

Amazing!! Everything wraps up nicely and I'm excited to hear that there will be one shots and a sequel!! I really enjoyed reading this series!! I can tell you worked hard on it and I appreciate the wonderful results that came from it!!

Author's Response: thank you so much! i'm glad you enjoyed the story and i hope you'll enjoy Pending Further Investigation and the in-universe one-shots as well. thank you so much for reviewing!

Okay so I am super super appreciative that you have an ace character in this, but as someone who is ace herself, I feel obligated to point out that I think you may be confusing / erroneously conflating asexuality and aromanticism (although I'm sure it's entirely unintentional). Holly appears to use her sexual orientation to explain why she wouldn't be interested in dating Sean, but it is possible for an asexual to still experience romantic attraction--sexual and romantic attraction are not the same, and thus sexual and romantic orientations are not always the same either. I myself still experience romantic attraction, despite experiencing no sexual attraction. So unless Holly is both asexual and aromantic, she is still capable of romantic attraction--and therefore, while having no interest in sex, would still be interested in a romantic relationship.

I realize that this is a fairly small thing, and it is possible that you will more fully expand upon this later in the story--either by confirming her as aro-ace or by explaining her romantic orientation--but I felt that this potential misrepresentation should be brought to your attention. That said, excellent story thus far.

Author's Response: Hi!

Thanks for your concern and I definitely understand where you're coming from - I'm ace too, and I've come across more than my fair share of people who don't understand the difference between asexuality and aromanticism and tend to associate the former with the latter.

I forget that most of the nitty-gritty of dealing with sexual/romantic orientation happens in the sequel to this story, particularly for Holly, and in TFWMS she's one of a cast of supporting characters which means I don't get to go into detail much for her - we only see her through the eyes of Rose and what she directly says. In this scene her main interest is in shooting down Sean, who's operating on the assumption that every girl at Hogwarts harbours a secret desire to sleep with him. Holly knows that, and the line "you can't say you don't feel the same way" prompts her to make that abundantly clear by telling him she's ace.

For what it's worth, Holly is panromantic - again, this is explored better in the sequel (Pending Further Investigation) where she's a POV character. I hope you read on!

Oh wonderful!! I can't get over how perfect the story is!! Does this mean we can expect a one-shot of the slythern v. ravenclaw quidditch final? I know it's not really relevant but it's been on my mind!

Author's Response: thank you so much! there is actually a one-shot about that, but it's part of the site-wide House Cup collab. there's a link to it on my profile in the forums, it's called "Showdown." it's a bit of a roundabout way to get to it, sorry!

I see why this is a staff pick. Your opening is great. Pacing and dialogue are spot on. You have captured the feeling of the characters about the scholarship and have really shown how much they really have to do to be the group of seventh years that emulate Fred Weasley. Great work!

This story is brilliant. The first story I've read in a really long while and it was so worth it. I found the way in which your Ravenclaws were actually intellectuals really refreshing. They speak in the same way that me and my pretentious literature student friends have for the last four years. They were relatable, if only I too were a genius. Thank you for sharing. This was honestly a fantastic read :)

Author's Response: thank you so much! i'm honoured that this was the first story you've read in a while and i'm so glad you enjoyed it and found it relatable! you're very welcome and thank you for the review!

“Ooh, are we shaming women for choosing to have safe, consensual sex?” Holly asks eagerly. “I just want to know where you guys got the Time Turners, because apparently we’re back in the Dark Ages. Let’s burn some witches while we’re at it! Oh, and don’t forget the gays. I hope there’s enough hellfire for all of us!”

From what I have read so far this is a very interesting story, the plot, though there is not much of it, is quite good for a fanfiction. Most fanfiction are filled with mary sues yet I seem to find this one of the best fanfictions I have read.

Author's Response: this is something of a backhanded compliment, but thanks anyway

Oh dear lord. You're an amazing writer! I feel a bit untrue to my Claw self as I have a master's thesis to finish and I've just read this entire story in one sitting... But that is definitely a compliment to you - your characters just jump out and live a life on their own, it's amazing, and just a tad enviable I must say. I'll need to check out more of your stories, but think I'll have to keep off HPFF for a few more weeks ;)

Again, I'm sure you've been told a million times, but keep up the good work! Your ability to deal with and balance sensitive topics, super-pranking and witty dialogue all in one story is really incredible :)

Author's Response: thank you so much! if it's any consolation, i was a Claw when i wrote this whole thing in the middle of the semester (not quite the same as procrastinating a masters thesis, but there you go!) i hope you enjoy my other work if you do get to it, and good luck with the thesis!

It's wonderful how you interweave descriptions such as for Holly, Albus and Lester here. The way you do it makes it interesting and never tiresome. The same goes for your dialogues, they are cute and witty and make the story very pleasant to read. 'Slytherindors' was a funny word invention. It's interesting how in this story, the Slytherins and Gryffindors are on better terms with each other and have turned twice as threatening together.

Author's Response: thank you so much! i love this bunch of characters and i'm glad you're enjoying the way they're portrayed and the way they interact. thanks again for reviewing!

"
“Nobody in this room has any friends outside this room.”" Hahaha, that was hilarious. I like how you made George appear in this chapter. I wonder why Rose started pranking on her own, but I'm curious how this will end. I like that you introduced Louis and Sophie as 'enemies' here, it creates another conflict. I also really like how you included homosexuality in a casual way.

Author's Response: glad you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for the comments!

Macho Manly Louis Weasley. What a title. I wish this was real just so I could see him try to salvage his reputation. :P

Professor Vector seems like one terrifying woman. I wouldn't want to cross her at all, I'd be doing exactly what Rose and Scorpius did and I'm a Slytherin. Except the bow. Oh, my God. I can't believe he actually bowed. Hahaha!!!

Then again, it is, as he so kindly pointed out, high treason. ;)

The big, dramatic reveal probably would have been big and dramatic if they'd waited till the end of the year... or until they were discovered. Then again, I would have laughed even harder if the response was still Cool. Who's for gobstones?

The Corruption of Holly Holyoake: The title of the Order of the Raven's memoir. ;)

Potions is her kingdom... just saying that has jinxed it. After talking about their pride, you just know now that Louis is going to hit her in Potions.

Ooh, and as much as I hate to say it, he got her good. To actually bring about at least the beginning of what looks like a panic attack, though. I'll hit Louis for her. *nods*

I can't wait to see Holly's idea now. It bet it'll be good.

Sam.

Author's Response: i wish it was real too tbh we're in agreement on that. louis is a loser

professor vector is basically mcgonagall 2.0 except with less biscuits and tartan

lowkey wish i had saved the dramatic reveal for the end of the year just to keep the reaction as "cool. who's for gobstones" because it's so anticlimactic and wonderful

(Its like a cannonball in a swimming pool, got actions and everything.)

I digress. Five thousand galleons. For that amount of money, I'd disregard my whole set of principles... work/school-wise anyway. People would revere my pranking as much as people will no doubt revere this group's. Because they're Ravenclaws, I imagine they'll be smart enough to not only be creative but step things up a notch. Once they get over the whole rule breaking part. :P

"Five thousand galleon," we echo. We sound like a cult. - But a cool one, with Game of Thrones references and weird names and Scorpius Malfoy (because he's a whole other league of awesome).

Throwing Ron under the bus. For shame. :P

Haha! I love how George sounds so serious about the scholarship and pranking. I wouldn't expect it any other way.

Ooh, what's her plan?

Okay. I won't lie. Louis is one of my favorite characters in the Next-Gen world and in my headcanon, so making him the bad guy really got me in the feels the first time I read this. I'm hoping I'm better prepared this second time around. But he's just come into it and I'm already making sad faces. BUT he's an interesting bad guy, I even want to hurt him for the first time ever.

HAHA! Pygmy puffs. Such an awesome prank.

DOCK ALL THE POINTS SCORPIUS. *glares at Louis*

First strike from the Order of the Raven. Good luck, guys! :D

Sam.

P.S. My reviews are bound to get weirder from here. I apologize in advance. :)

Author's Response: i'm picturing this review-bomb-cannonball perfectly and i support it

lemme tell you, for five thousand Galleons or its equivalent in NZD i wouldn't have a moral compass to speak of. that could put a serious dent in my student loan. imagine

scorpius malfoy is a whole other league of awesome i'm glad we agree

i'm sorry for ruining louis for you in this 'verse i really am i hope you can forgive me

I'm *finally* giving this a proper read. I'm on my phone so I probably won't stop every chapter. I've never heard of a legit internship where someone has to pay. Training, sure, but people do work in an internship and are usually paid (or they're not but they typically don't pay for the pleasure of going grunt work). Love the intro and how you're writing everyone

Author's Response: the fact that you're reviewing on your phone means so much to me rose. that's the true struggle

I've passed by this fanfic for such a long time and I am hitting myself because I only read it now. I loved it. I love them all. I have no other words for them aside from it. I cant even comprehend one. They are amazing and i wish I had the same set of friends. I love them. And Emily oh emily.. i cried so much after the twin thing was revealed. I hope she has a bright future. Im off to read the sequel

Author's Response: i'm glad you finally made it and i'm thrilled that you enjoyed it so much. i hope you enjoy Pending Further Investigation and thank you for reading!

I have to say, I LOVE the debate with the discussion of Alexandria. It's so realistic and geeky...I can absolutely see my friends and I having that sort of discussion. This is a fantastic fanfic so far. Definitely deserved the Dobby. Congrats!